Neo Bar – the legendary live music venue deep in the heart of Yangpu’s university district – has been giving solace to the young corruptible souls and raising some of Shanghai’s most beloved music acts for a whopping twelve years (across three different locations)! The bright red lights; the dueling movie screenings; the fridge full of Asahi bottles; and its motley crew of rabble-rousers keeping the place afloat – it’s iconic! 

As expected, the team celebrated the only way they knew how last weekend – with two nights of music – with some of my favorite acts to have graced the stage over the years. 

I wisely avoided night one out of fear for my liver – and subconsciously made up for it on night two. Things got messy. Night two featured two of Xinxiang’s most feverish live acts – punk stalwarts Pumpkins and Colombian Col, who have turned their madcap, visceral and  irreverent noise rock into sermon – developing cult-like status in just under a year. Joining them were Beijing rap rock outfit Cypher T and Shanghai’s own psych blues rockers Poetry in Shorts. 

A symphony of debauchery it was – one that my body is still reeling from. And if anyone can find my broken glasses please do reach out to me! 

The post Gig Recap : NEO 12-Year Anniversary (2024.4.27) first appeared on .

The Claptraps – The Claptraps

Old school in the best possible way, Beijing’s The Claptraps adhere to a time when shoegaze reveled in assaulting your senses with its volatile mix of bittersweet angst and turbulent fervor, engulfing listeners in its waves of distortions and simmering dissonance. Muzzled vocals disintegrate into the ether, guitars twist themselves into oblivion, drums thunder across the space and the static glow of the feedback guides you through its sonic uproar – the band may wear its influences loud and proud, but damn is it a hell of a good time. 

北京的 The Claptraps 以一种可能是最好的方式体现了他们的老派，坚持当年的盯鞋风格：用苦乐参半的焦虑=和汹涌的热情搅动你的感官，在一波波的失真和酝酿的不和谐将观众吞噬。低沉的声音消失在空中，吉他扭曲着自己直到湮没，鼓声响彻太空，反馈那静止的光引导着你穿过喧嚣的声音——乐队可能会响亮而自豪展示出他们所受到的影响，但这确实是一段美妙的时光。

• https://y.qq.com/n/yqq/album/003fxQBI0fQ1Jz.html
• https://open.spotify.com/album/2GTgdnQweTgdEROAegqF6w

Nocturnes 曳取 – Poetic Irony

While the framework of Nocturnes music remains very much the same – flickering indietronica sound whose cool-hued gravitas, quivering guitars and bass-heavy propulsion complements its messy entanglement of emotions simmering underneath – there’s both a restraint and a maturity found within their latest EP, Poetic Irony, off of Modern Sky’s WaterMade sublabel. Its lyrics cut deeper, its rhythms more gradual in their sway, and its melancholic layerings resonate more along with its slicker electronic components.

虽然曳取音乐的框架仍然非常相同–闪烁的独立电子之声，其冷色调的严肃性、颤抖的吉他和重低音的推进，补充了内心酝酿的混乱纠结的情绪。他们由摩登天空的子厂牌，水形发行的最新EP《Poetic Irony》，展现出了克制和成熟。他们的歌词探索更深，他们的节奏在摇摆中逐渐平和，他们忧郁的层次与更加丝滑的的电子部分一起产生了更多的共鸣。

• https://y.qq.com/n/yqq/album/002yrNUX33swzd.html
• https://open.spotify.com/album/28g10S2Ej2BCTmXXHI0JW0

Pumpkins 小南瓜 – 稳中向好

Xinxiang punk mainstays Pumpkins twist their riotous sound into new deviant forms on their new EP 稳中向好 out in Ruby Eyes Records. Opting for their native language and running amuck in the waters of psychedelic rock and somber indie rock – it’s a spirited and exciting new look for the band – yet one that fits like a glove and penetrates deeper than their mischievous former selves. And while it’s thankfully impossible to shed the years of excess and wisecracking mania embedded in the band’s being – there’s something dangerous and inviting about a band unearthing a new set of tools for their arsenal in the battle for rock and roll’s soul.

新乡朋克主力军小南瓜在他们的新EP《稳中向好》中把他们暴躁的声音扭曲成全新的离经叛道的形式，由赤瞳音乐发行。他们选择了自己的母语，在迷幻摇滚和忧郁的独立摇滚中肆意妄为——这是一个充满活力和激动人心的乐队新形象——但这个形象非常适合他们，比以前的调皮更加深入。谢天谢地，他们不可能摆脱多年来埋藏在乐队深处的那有些过度和顽皮的狂热：在争夺摇滚乐灵魂的战斗中，一个乐队为他们的武器库开发出一套新的工具，这是十分危险和诱人的。

• https://music.163.com/#/album?id=129679798
• https://open.spotify.com/album/3dizLNGlBsqw9AnHIcvQlQ

Hawk Sally – Rock N’ Roll Spoiler

With a sound that’s ‘rooted in 50’s rock’n’roll, mixed with 70’s madness and banter, and covered with 80’s hard rock’ Beijing’s Hawk Sally are the embodiment of rock and all in all bombast – a surging, hot-blooded love letter to the genre’s most primal feelings. A unadulterated rollicking good time that’s kept afloat by the band’s raw energy and enthusiasm that’s busting at the seams.

“根植于50年代的摇滚，混合着70年代的疯狂和玩笑，包裹着80年代的硬摇滚”北京的 Hawk Sally 乐队是摇滚和所有浮夸的化身，是给这种风格最原始的情感写的一封澎湃热血的情书。这是一段由乐队的原始能量和激情维持着的纯粹的，欢乐的时光

• https://hawksally.bandcamp.com/album/rock-n-roll-spoiler
• https://music.163.com/#/album?id=129253633

The post NewMusic:The Claptraps, Nocturnes, Pumpkins, Hawk Sally first appeared on .

The Molds – 乡愁 (Beijing/SpaceFruityRecords) 

Pumpkins 小南瓜 – 稳中向好 (Xinxiang/Ruby Eyes Records)

Downstream Channel 下行通道 – 在校医院隔壁 (Guangdong/Self-Released)

The Claptraps – Merrygoround (Beijing/nugget records)

工工工 – The Last Note 最後的音符 (Angel Wei Remix) (Beijing/Wharf Cat Records)

Zimablue 芝麻布 – Stay Unique (Changsha/Enigma Records)

the Third Toe – 没有共产党就没有新中国 (Shanghai/Self-Released)

FALSUS 错象 – Queen (Hangzhou/Enigma Records)

Soul Bus 灵魂巴士 – 12:21 (Guangdong/Self-Released)

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Xi’an is a strange beast of a city — one that I’m been grappling with for nearly ten years. It’s far from paradise – and in many instances feels like a third-tier city that somehow lucked out and was promoted to the big leagues despite it looking the exact same a decade earlier. Nevertheless, it’s gritty charm has slowly worked me over and at the end of the day is a city that continues to surprise me. Case in point: VeinLab. Located within the city walls, the subterranean venue has been cutting its teeth for over a year now, playing host to an array of punk, rock, and indie acts. It has very affordable drinks. There’s a bed in the main room for mosh-pitters looking to take a breather. There are lots of red and green-tinted neon lights and derelict TV/computer monitors littered about the stage. And even a coffee shop upstairs that sells, for better or worse, an iced Jagermesiter latte. It’s all kind of ridiculous. And I kind of love it. 

Over the holiday break, it hosted one of this season’s nation-spanning punk festivals – this one aptly named Smash It Punk. I swung by night one for a righteous, diverse, and swift lineup of punk music that left nothing on the table. Kicking off was Xi’an’s own Joy Old – bringing scrappy, old school bluntness to their Oi!-flavored anthem building tunes. Hardcore got its due via Chengdu’s CoreSo, whilst reggae and ska found unlikely champions in The Sailor’s Grape. 

Beijing powerhouse punk quartet Xiao Wang continues to prove to be one of the scene’s most vital and visceral outfits – taking aim at all who stand in their way whilst delivering some seriously catchy ballads that can twist into a knife at any given moment. 

Finally, not enough good things can be said about Xinxiang’s Pumpkins, who take the remnants of London punk sound and run with it – explosive, deranged fun that makes me wish more bands in China would treat Britpop with the same combustible and dangerously alluring reckless abandon these cats do. They’re true rock stars. 

To top it off, I swung by late the next night to get my first taste of Xi’an legends Sucker, described by a fellow attendee as ‘Rancid ska tastefully mixed with blues, surf, and rockabilly” which sums it up better than I ever could.

Props to Vein Lab for bringing good vibes and punk rock galore to the holiday week and for every Xi’an the jolt of life it deserves. I’ll definitely be returning soon enough. 

The post Gig Recap: Xi’an Punk Music Festival ​(2020.10.02-03) first appeared on .

Ruby Eyes Records – the indie label that’s been gobbling up one indie act after another – showcased their diverse and wicked roster with a lineup featuring some killer acts from around China.

The evening kicked off with a set from cult singer Yang Ji – who hasn’t so much shed her punk roots as reoutfitted them in atypical and alluring ways – fastening it with a kitsch KTV Cantopop gloss and tossing it in the blender with hard-hitting albiet lo-fi Death Grips style production, seamlessly blurring the line between vulnerability and keen self-awareness. Yue Space may not have been the best fit for her, but there’s no denying the sheer talent on display.

Up next were hometown favorites of mine, Last Goodbye, who was in the midst of their nationwide tour promoting their debut. What can I say, love these guys to death. They know their set like the back of their hands so it was a pleasure to see they pull out a new song (in Chinese nevertheless) that promises a new direction for the band while maintaining their firecracker magnetism and rhythmic pulse.

Truth be told, the night belonged to Pumpkins, the Xinxiang, the veteran old school punks who have embodied the spirit of punk like none other. They came out firing on all cylinders, barreling through one loud and dirty tune after another, keeping their dynamic fast and loose with just the right amount of sincerity. Even at its goofiest rambunctiousness, there’s a raw purity to the band’s high-octane live presence and their conviction. Legends they are for good reason. 

The post Gig Recap: Pumpkins, Last Goodbye, YangJi (2019.06.01) first appeared on .